Frank Cassara

Frank Cassara

Adjunct Lecturer, Percussion; Coordinator of Percussion Studies

A proponent of new and classic, Western and world percussion music, Frank Cassara has premiered many works with as many diverse groups. As percussionist for the Philip Glass Ensemble, he has performed around the globe and has recorded Glass' music and film scores, most recently the new Glass work Orion. He also performs around the world with Steve Reich and Musicians, with an upcoming recording of his work Dance Patterns. As a member of the New Music Consort/PULSE Percussion Ensemble he has appeared at major festivals as well as in the movie about John Cage, I Have Nothing to Say and I Am Saying It.

Cassara has toured extensively with the Newband/Harry Partch Ensemble, performing and recording on Partch's instruments. He has also performed or recorded with such groups as Music From China, Manhattan Marimba Quartet, Talujon Percussion Quartet, North/South Consonance and Parnassus. Principal percussion of the Connecticut Grand Opera and member of the Riverside Symphony and Hudson Valley Philharmonic, he has also performed with many area orchestras, such as the Brooklyn Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra, Long Island Philharmonic and the Westchester Philharmonic.

Cassara has played for Broadway shows Lion King, 42nd Street and Music Man, among others, and heads the percussion departments at Long Island University and Vassar College. He can be heard on such recordings such as Philip Glass' Hydrogen Jukebox, Gavin Bryars' Jesus' Blood (Grammy nominated), Chou Wen-Chung's Echoes From the Gorge, and many others.